Chapter 5
At the end of the Ruins there is a home, in it lives the Caretaker. A position gained by those who are PATIENT and KIND enough to handle the various personalities that will enter their HUB. They will get the name of the new occupant, before they will ask the question, Visiting or Staying. If they are visiting their name will be marked down and they can go on their way. If staying? Well... there is a lot of paperwork involved.
You glanced at Avalone, the resident Caretaker. Its weird that all the people you have talked too thus far are male now that you think about it. Then again, most of the people who take the Caretaker position are female. So this one is a bit of an oddity.
"I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay Reader!"
"I will Avalone." You give them a grimace though as you look at the small pile of papers you just filled. The grey cat man gives you a small smile as they look at the papers too.
"Atleast your done now. I am actually surprised your moving here, you lived in HUB16 for most your life since you arrived in... what is called now?"
"PlayersTale."
"Ah yes PlayersTale, seriously it feels like we change the name every few years."
"We do. Remember the time it was AdminTale? Or the time it was CreatorTale? We will probably change it again after a few dozen more years."
"Hmm... we are actually getting quite a few more residents recently. We may have to create a new HUB."
"Seriously? Isn't 16 enough?"
"With how violent our fights can get? Nope. It will be a few thousand more players before we need to really expand."
"Hmm. Yeah."
"Hmm. I swear I was asking you something a minute ago... oh well. So your planning on staying at Codeville huh. You should check out Ocarus Caverns on the way."
"Ocarus Caverns? Never heard of that viewpoint."
"Thats cause its an exclusive site. It was created by the Scouting The Heavens clan. Its a pretty good site."
"I look forward to seeing it for myself then. Thank you for your hospitality Avalone."
"Its no trouble Reader. Please stop by again when you get the chance."
Your smile gets bit bigger at this as you leave.
The Caretakers of each Ruins were all different, yet they were always friendly or accepting. The only acception being HUB1's Caretaker who has the meanest glare you had ever seen. They were still patient though.
You examined the ruins door. Each HUB Ruins door had a different symbol on it. HUB16 had a angel, while HUB1 had a demon, HUB10s was a @ symbol. Like on a keyboard...
"Yeah. The Admin who made the door decided that he wanted to prank everyone, so instead of some amazing symbol they just put the at symbol on the door." Avalone explains behind you.
"It is certainly unique." You push the door open, and wave one more goodbye at Avalone.
Its not as cold as trail to Codeville from HUB16. Its actually rather comfortable. You see a few Players setting on benches observing the scenery, and a few off outside the safe zone having a [FIGHT].
It was a peaceful day huh. There is an artificial light that acts like the Sun in the pathway to Codeville, meaning it is always sunny and you can see shadows! You can forget people have shadows after staying at the RUINs for too long. You learned that from experience. That was really embarrassing, Player had the nerve to burst out laughing when you first exited the RUINs. Stilll, at the time he was pretty nice and spent three days trying his darndest to make it up to you. If only he wasn't as possessive. He always seemed to have that charm to him, he could make you laugh, smile, and generally cheer you up. After your break down when you wanted to leave he wanted to make your happier, to help you by giving you all you needed... but you wanted to be independent. You wanted to be treated like you were a person, not some fragile trophy.
It is very likely you will probably talk to him again, although you were ignoring him currently. You were trying to tame his possessive streak towards you so you could make friends again and have fun like you guys used too.
You shake your head, removing thoughts about Player. Then focus on the task at hand, the distance to Codeville isn't very long. But there is a slurry of sights, activities, and gathering spots you could visit along the way. Also according to your internal clock it was getting close to nighttime and you would likely get to Codevile after nightfall, so you were going to sleep at the Inn that was on the way. Ye Western Inn was apparently a decent place, although it was filled with old western stereotypes. But trying out some old western games and [FIGHT]s will certainly be good for your crying wallet.
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You follow the paved dirt, the main path leading to Codeville. The number of Players amazes you, they were sure out late today. Eventually you made it to the first fork in the dirt path, you could go left and go to the Ocarus Caverns, or you could be a responsible player and go and book a room first on the right... Well left it is!
You follow the path and begin to walk in sync with another player, a PACIFIST. They attempt to start a conversation as they walk. You look at their name, [ASYLUM]. Then you examine them. They are a human, through and through. Blue eyes, and brown hairs, wearing a cowboy outfit... Must have come from the Inn.
"Hello there pard'ner!" A fake western accent taints the voice.
"Nothing much, just paying a visit to Ocarus Caverns."
"Really? I am too! Well, technically I'm meeting a friend there. But still the same location!"
"That's cool, did you come from the Inn?"
"Of course Pard'ner!" The accent is so bad... but you really don't want to ruin his parade. "You wanna know something interesting Pard'ner?"
"Umm, Sure."
"See, the Ocarus Cavern was formed by the Scouting the Heavens clan and all that jazz, but there was a bit of controversy around it's creation. Mainly because the location used to be a relic sight where the Guardian of the HUB fought against a GENOCIDER King who didn't follow the rules, the place was ripped apart from the force of the fight. The Guardian summoning knives and bullets made out of RELENTLESSNESS and DETERMINATION, which was something no one knew was possible at the time. It did a ton of damage against the GENOCIDER King, It's said in the first attack it destroyed the land and cut off the GENOCIDER King's arm. The fight was so intense the once beautiful flower grove was utterly ripped into pieces. It even damaged the artificial light, casting the area into a red light instead of a white light. After a while the Scouting the Heavens clan, and they were inspired from the destruction and wanted to turn it into something else. Many people objected wanting to keep a testament to the Guardians strength, but the Guardian interfered and said they wanted to see what they could do... after that they made the Ocarus Caverns, the Guardian was actually pretty happy with the results, and after a bit? So were the others."
"That... is actually pretty interesting. So did they make the place colorful and such like the Crystal Pillars?"
They smiled, "You will see. I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed.
And when you arrived? You weren't disappointed. The Caverns were a twisted zone, with curving pathways and a red light dying the place. It was dark and gloomy, filled with a dangerous vibe. Each step you took filled you with CURIOSITY, UNEASE, and TENSION. "This really wasn't what I was expecting when I heard about this place."
Asylum laughed. "You got that right. Most don't expect it to look like this, they thing something happy, something inspiring. Yet this place, it fills you with a sense of DREAD and UNEASE at times. It's actually a bit different for everyone. Some say it is what most of the Players felt when the GENOCIDER King started to break the rules. Others say it's what the GENOCIDER King felt when the Guardian unleashed their first attack. If you look at the curves in the tunnels you can see they have been smoothed out, each tunnel is a crack made in the earth from the Guardians attacks. It's said if you walk the caverns you can face your worst fears. Well, images of your worst fears. Some of the paths lead to that, others lead pressure zone where you can feel the pressure the Guardian and GENOCIDER King had when they fought."
You sit on the bench that was right outside the entrance, looking at the Ocarus Caverns. "Thanks for not warning me, it really only gets the impact on you when you don't know what to expect."{
"Yeah, my friend did it too me when I first came here as well. I guess I'll talk to you later Reader."
"Thank you for walking with me Asylum."
Asylum gave you the biggest grin he could muster as he materialized a cowboy hat and tipped it to you. "Have a nice day Pard'ner!"
You watch Asylum go deeper into the Caverns. You could go after him and explore more, but you really need to get to the Inn and get a room for the night. You sigh as you turn your back to the adventurous roars of a dark red tunnel system.